Heaven's Lost Property: Last Goodbyes
by grey987
Summary: Four months have passed since the angeloids' last battle, and so far life has continued to be normal for Tomoki and the others. However, a new, more deadly threat arrives in Sorami City and has one target set in his sights: the angeloid known as Achos. In a race against the clock, the angeloids must protect their friend and figure out how to defeat an enemy they can't see coming.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys. I'm back with the sequel to "Dark Skies", and here's the first chapter! Hope you enjoy.**

**If you haven't read "Dark Skies" yet, I advise that you read that first.**

**Since I couldn't include this in the summary, this is rated T for all the same reasons as "Dark Skies".**

* * *

It was the first weekend in December. Sorami City was quiet, with people going about their daily routines. At Doremi Cinemas, two people walked out side by side. One was a girl, with blue hair, blue eyes and pigtails. She wore brown boots and a long pink dress with a light-pink and purple sweater overtop, and had a yellow purse strapped over her shoulder. The other person was a boy, who had straight black hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a red t-shirt, a black hoodie with a red dragon on the back overtop of it (the inside of the hood being red), black sweatpants and black and red sneakers. Unbeknownst to the people around them, these two were angeloids whose names were Nymph and Achos. Nymph had a slight bounce in her step, smiling as she and Achos walked back home from the movie theatre.

"So, what do you want to see next?" Nymph asked cheerfully as she looked up at Achos. He shrugged.

"Doesn't matter to me, so long as it isn't a bad movie," he responded. Nymph lightly punched Achos' arm.

"You're no fun, Omega," she whined. "I thought you liked those movies where people fight and stuff. I'm sure they're showing a couple of them!" Achos sighed in defeat.

"If you insist, we'll go see one of those next week," he said. Nymph's smile returned as they continued to walk.

"So, there anything else you want to do, like go to an arcade or something?" Nymph asked. Achos thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Sure. Then we'll head home," he answered. The two walked silently for a moment, before Nymph spoke again.

"You really have to work on choosing things for yourself, Omega."

"What?" Achos said, raising a curious eyebrow at Nymph as she sighed.

"There's nothing you ever want to do when we go out! Mostly I'm the one who either wants to do things or suggests things to you. Maybe you should start doing that every once in a while."

"I'm not very picky when it comes to these things. You know that," he said. Nymph suspected it was more because of the fact that even four months after his arrival in Sorami City, he was still trying to adjust to life without orders, but decided not to bring it up for the sake of retaining the light mood of the conversation.

"You really need a hobby," Nymph said, poking Achos' arm. "Going out will help you find one. I'm not trying to torture you." Achos smiled and shook his head.

"Alright, I get your point," he said in surrender. "Let's just go to the arcade and play some games."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tomoki Sakurai sat in his room reading a porn magazine out of boredom (he had no perverted plans up his sleeve today). He was anticipating for when Achos and Nymph would get back so he could (yet again) poke fun at the two angeloids for "going out on a date". They weren't actually dates, but a little while after the defeat of Alkaios, Nymph decided that she and Achos should go out occasionally so that they could do more things together. You could call them "friendly dates", if you wanted. Whatever the case, Tomoki making fun of them for it usually ended up badly. Even so, the oblivious idiot still hadn't learned his lesson after about four months of doing the same damn thing.

About two and a half hours had passed since Achos and Nymph's departure before they came back. They were both expecting Tomoki to arrive at any minute. And sure enough, he did.

"Oh, hey guys," he greeted innocently, an almost sinister smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Hey pervert," Achos said dismissively, taking off his shoes and socks. It was then that he could hear Tomoki chuckling in an evil manner.

_That's new, _he thought to himself. _What has he, a new sick and perverted plan?_

"What's so funny?" Nymph asked, her voice indicating that she was slightly irritated.

"So, did you two do anything _interesting _today?" Tomoki asked, his voice no longer displaying mock-innocence. Both angeloids recognized his tone as being one of perversion, and taking the hint that Tomoki brought up, the two turned a deep shade of crimson.

"What the hell are you talking about, pervert?!" Nymph exclaimed with embarrassment. It was then that another angeloid, Ikaros, wandered into the hallway, watching the scene a fair distance away from the three.

"I don't know. I just thought that since you guys are away from a long time, you'd decide to-" Achos didn't let Tomoki finish. He stepped forward and gave Tomoki a hard chop that would have made Sohara Mitsuki proud, sending him flying across the hallway and into the wall on the opposite end. As he looked up, he noticed that Ikaros, the girl he still harbored feelings for, was standing in the middle of the hallway, fixing him with her emotionless gaze that had a rather deadly air to it. He gulped nervously, and thought:

_Oh shit._

Outside, a faint boom could be heard from inside Tomoki's house.

* * *

"She really needs to stop doing that," Achos muttered, sitting in Tomoki's room with Nymph. "I'm a friend, not an enemy."

"You know Alpha's protective of her master. It's normal that she'd do that," Nymph said. Achos scoffed.

"Yeah, as if you or the others get blown up for beating up that pervert," he said bitterly.

"Look, I'll talk to Alpha about it, okay?" Nymph said, her voice soft and soothing. Achos said nothing and simply nodded in response. Unbeknownst to him as he stared at the floor, Nymph looked at Achos intently. She knew that he was still in love with Ikaros, and he was often troubled by his feelings for her. Nymph could see through his thoughtful eyes that he was thinking about Ikaros now. Nymph deeply cared for Achos, and hated to see him upset. After all, he seldom expressed positive emotions, and usually had none to express. To see him only express negative emotions made Nymph sad. She believed that he deserved to be happy after all the emotional pain he'd suffered as a creation of the Synapse.

Sometimes it seemed like he was never happy.

* * *

When night came, Achos sat on the roof of Tomoki's house, staring up at the moon in the sky. For a while he sat there alone, in thought, before he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He looked behind to see Nymph standing on the opposite slant of the roof.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Achos looked back up at the moon and said, "Sure." Nymph sat down beside Achos at the top of the roof, also looking up at the sky in thought. Her thoughts eventually wandered to Achos once again, and her gaze shifted over to him. She remembered how four months ago, Achos nearly took his own life in order to save his friends and the people of Sorami City. Nymph's mind was occasionally plagued with these memories, and it made her shudder to think about it. She was concerned for his well-being, and didn't want him to suffer physically anymore than he seemed to be suffering mentally. She didn't want him to get hurt, not the way he did last time. There had been a long moment of silence before Nymph decided to speak up.

"Hey, Omega?"

"Yeah?" Achos said, turning to look at Nymph and meeting her gaze.

"I'm really worried about you. You almost died when you stopped Sigma, and-"

"You don't want me to do it again?" Achos finished in anticipation. Nymph shook her head.

"Not just that... I want you to _promise _me that you won't do it again," she said firmly.

"But what if it needs to be done?" Achos asked. "What if any of us has to do something like that again?"

"Please, Achos," Nymph begged. "Just promise me." Achos sighed through his nose, momentarily staring at his hand. Then he looked up at her and nodded.

"I promise," he said. Nymph wasn't entirely convinced that Achos was telling the truth. She held out her pinkie finger to Achos, who raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Pinkie-promise?" Nymph asked. Achos hesitated for a moment before nodding again and wrapping his pinkie around hers.

"I pinkie-promise," he said as both of them shook their pinkies before breaking them apart from one another's grasp. Both of them then continued to look up at the star-lit sky.

And as Nymph did, she hoped that Achos would hold true to his promise should the time come when they had to face another threat.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait. To be honest, I got kind of lazy over the past week.**

* * *

Achos was in deep thought the next morning while everyone was eating breakfast. He made a promise to Nymph, a promise he had to keep should he have wanted Nymph to be happy. He knew how much she cared about him (although not to the point where he was aware that she loved him), and he didn't like the thought of leaving her knowing that he did so intentionally. However, the promise made things complicated. What if there was a threat in Sorami City that was too powerful for the angeloids to stop? What if a sacrifice needed to be made?

* * *

_"I'm really worried about you. You almost died when you stopped Sigma, and-"_

_"You don't want me to do it again?"_

_"Not just that... I want you to _promise _me that you won't do it again."_

_"But what if it needs to be done? What if any of us has to do something like that again?"_

_"Please Achos. Just promise me."_

_A momentary pause._

_"I promise."_

_"Pinkie-promise?"_

_Another pause._

_"I pinkie-promise."_

* * *

Achos raised his pinkie finger to his face, staring at it.

_Nymph... _he thought as he repeated their conversation over and over in his mind.

"Hey! Achos!" Achos was quickly snapped out of his trance, lowering his finger quickly and looking up, noticing that everyone around the table was staring at him in confusion. Well, except for Nymph. She knew exactly what he was thinking about the moment he raised that finger.

"I need you to help Ikaros with the groceries," Tomoki said, saying nothing more than that. Achos was hesitant, before nodding.

"No problem," he said in response.

* * *

Sometime later, the two angeloids were in the Town Square, bags in hand as they prepared to head back to Tomoki's house.

"So, do we have everything on the list?" Achos asked. Ikaros nodded.

"Yes, we do," she responded.

"Okay then. Let's head home." The two remained silent for a while as they walked side by side through the Square. The tension between the two that had been present since the first time they met had lowered by now, but it was still present nonetheless.

"Hey, Ikaros...?" Achos asked gently. "Can I ask you a question?" Ikaros turned and looked at him curiously for a moment before nodding.

"Sure," she responded. Despite the fact that it was usually monotonous, Achos loved Ikaros' voice whenever he heard it. There was no obvious emotion in it, Achos found that in some way that it was still gentle, and soothing. It took a moment in order for the black-haired angeloid to regain his composure before he spoke once again.

"Let's just say that..." Achos paused for a moment, drawing in a slightly shaky breath. The situation he was about to bring up was quite painful for him to talk about, but he was still curious about Ikaros' opinion.

"You made a promise to your master," he continued. "Not to die. On his orders. But, what if... your master's life was in danger, and you needed to sacrifice your own to save it. Would you keep your promise, or... would you break it?" Ikaros looked at him in surprise, the two now having stopped walking. She then looked at the ground in thought. Meanwhile, Achos looked intently at the pink-haired angeloid, waiting for an answer with a slight fear of what she'd say.

Ikaros continued to look at the ground when she said: "I'd break my promise." Achos winced slightly at the answer.

"I value his life more than my own, and would do anything for his protection. Even if it means my death." Then Achos looked down at the ground, not wanting Ikaros to see his sadness. It was a while before he continued walking, with Ikaros eventually following behind him.

_I love you..._

Words unspoken, words he wished to speak. Words he wished to say to her.

* * *

A while later, the two angeloids continued to walk through the Square. There were many people on either side of them, travelling in and out. The two didn't bother paying any attention...

Until a figure in a black hoodie approached them.

Achos narrowed his eyes in confusion, curious as to why this person was walking directly towards them instead of walking around them. Ikaros looked at him, noticing Achos' expression.

"Is there something wrong, Achos?" she asked. At that moment, a purple blade ejected out of the right sleeve of the figure's hoodie overtop of his wrist and hand and extending slightly past that. Achos immediately pushed Ikaros to the side as the person dashed forward and sliced at him, cutting Achos' right arm as he leapt off to the opposite side. People around them were frightened at the scene they were witnessing, and either ran off or watched from a distance. As the figure ran off, Achos dropped his bags and gave chase. Ikaros, after picking up the bags, followed after him, disregarding the shocked people around her as she extended her wings and took off a short distance into the sky, flying above the Square.

Both Achos and the figure pushed past unaware people during their pursuit, Achos trying not to let his target get away. However, the figure ejected his blade again, turning around and slicing at Achos. He narrowly avoided the strike as he ducked, but when he turned around, the person did as well and landed a hard side kick into his chest and sending Achos into the ground. When Achos got up, holding his chest in pain, he couldn't find the figure in the mass of people around him. Shortly after, Ikaros descended to the ground by Achos' side.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern slightly evident in her voice. Achos nodded, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he responded. The two remained silent for a moment. They both wondered who their attacker was.

Then Achos turned to Ikaros and said, "Come on. Let's go." She nodded, and both of them ascended into the sky, quickly heading home.

* * *

"Bullshit," Tomoki said, his voice indicating boredom.

"Aw!" Astraea whined, picking up the cards stacked in the middle of the living room table in front of them. "I thought you wouldn't know this time!" Tomoki shook his head.

"You're a bad liar," Tomoki remarked. "You can tell every time you're lying!"

"Don't be a dick," Sohara growled, hitting Tomoki over the head with a chop as she sat on her knees beside him, also playing the game. Nymph and Chaos sat in unoccupied spaces around the table, Nymph (as usual) eating her snacks as she watched.

"Two Kings," Sohara said, placing two cards in the centre. Suddenly, the group heard the door open, and eventually they saw Ikaros and Achos appear in the entrance way, Achos holding his chest.

"Are you guys okay? What happened?" Sohara asked as she stood up, the others doing the same (with the exception of Chaos).

"We were attacked at the Square," Achos responded, grunting in pain. Sohara then walked over to him and examined the cut on his arm.

"We should get that cleaned up," she said as she looked at it.

"What about you, Ikaros?" Tomoki asked.

"She's fine," Achos responded. "She wasn't attacked. Now that you mention it... it seems like the person didn't pay much attention to Ikaros."

"Do you think someone's targeting you?" Tomoki asked almost immediately afterward. Achos thought for a moment.

"I don't know who would," he answered, "but it's possible. For what reason I'd be targeted, I don't know."

"It's possible that this 'person' is an angeloid," Nymph said suddenly, everyone turning to look at her as she brought up the theory. "It could have been sent here to retrieve Achos and bring him back to the Synapse." There was bitterness in her voice, as she suspected that Minos might have been behind the attack. Everyone realized that this was a very likely possibility, and everyone else began to fear for Achos.

"We have to protect him," Nymph stated firmly to Ikaros and Astraea. "We can't let this person hurt Achos."

"I'll be fine, Nymph," Achos insisted, not wanting his friends to get hurt because of him.

"No, you won't," she said sharply. "This person is out to get you and probably won't stop until you're either dead or captured! We can't let that happen to you."

"I can take care of myself just fine on my own!" he snapped. Everyone else stared at him in shock. The angeloids were offering him their protection and here he was, being unappreciative of it. Achos took several deep breaths, then sighed. Without a word, he turned and headed out of the room.

"Achos, wait!" Sohara called out, chasing after him. The others could hear her voice faintly as she disappeared behind the entrance way. "We still have to get your cut patched up!"

Silence.

"Make it quick," came Achos' dull reply from the hallway. The others couldn't believe it.

It was as if he reverted back to his cold, dark, and hostile personality.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Once again, I would like to apologize for the wait. The last thing I want you guys thinking is that I'll end up not completing this story. Don't worry, I fully intend to finish it.**

* * *

Tensions were high and directed at Achos as they all sat in the living room eating lunch. No words were exchanged between anyone as they quietly ate, Achos beginning to feel regretful for his actions. The others (with the exception of Chaos) were still feeling quite bitter towards him for them, not being able to believe that he declined help that his "sisters" had willingly offered.

However, that would soon be the least of his worries.

Since he'd begun eating, Achos continued to stare at the plate in front of him as he ate. However, as he was about to eat another bit of his food, he noticed out of the corner of his eyes that the lighting in the room had changed, the area being lit with an ominous red glow. When he looked up, he saw an image that horrified him.

In front of him sat the same figure that attacked him earlier that day. And all around, his friends had gone pale and were slightly slumped forward. Their faces were twisted into expressions of what looked like either shock or horror, their eyes black all around with the exception of their pupils, which were red. The figure chuckled lightly. A male voice.

"Hello, Achos," the person said quietly, his voice seemingly distorted. "Do you like what I set up? I thought I'd eat with all of you, and perhaps have a tea party. I also showed your friends how happy I was to join them by giving them a makeover." Achos' eyes were wide in shock, horror, and confusion. Almost like his now lifeless friends.

"Don't they look so pretty?" Achos trembled as he looked once again at the bodies gathered around the table.

"You... Why did you attack me? What have you done!? What do you want with me?!" he shouted as his eyes now displayed a new emotion: anger.

Suddenly, the image in front of Achos seemed to flicker and fade. He heard a faint voice calling out to him, and felt himself being shaken by someone. Soon, the image disappeared entirely and the living room was back to normal, his friends staring at him in worry and confusion. He turned to his right, his eyes still wide, to see Nymph with her hand gripping his shoulder.

"Omega, are you okay? Answer me!" Nymph said worriedly. However, Achos didn't answer, instead looking around the table at his friends in confusion. Angeloids couldn't sleep, therefore eliminating the possibility of them having dreams or nightmares, but...

What had he just seen?

Achos clutched the table tightly with one hand, his other placed on his head as he breathed heavily and sweated profusely.

"Achos, what happened...?" Tomoki asked quietly. It was at that moment that he stood up, said "excuse me", and left the room. The others just stared at the doorway, dumbfounded as to what had just occurred.

* * *

A few hours later, Achos sat on the roof of the house under a sunset-lit sky, unable to help himself from replaying the gruesome scene again and again in his head. He continued to sit in silence for a while before he heard a voice behind him.

"Omega...? Can we talk?" asked Nymph's soft voice.

Achos sighed, remaining silent for a moment, before saying, "Sure." Nymph then walked over to Achos, taking a seat beside him with her knees tucked into her chest and her arms wrapped around them. For a few seconds, there was a tense and awkward silence before Nymph spoke again.

"Why don't you want us to help you?" she asked, her voice slightly strained with emotional pain. This did not go unnoticed by Achos, and the guilt he felt before resurfaced and intensified slightly.

"Nymph, I'm truly sorry for the way I acted," he said, "but I can't let any of you get hurt because of me. I have to handle this on my own."

"No, you don't," Nymph countered. There was another momentary pause between the two before Achos continued to speak.

"These ties I have with all of you... they're dangerous. They compromise the way I think in certain situations, and I can't let them distract me when-" By this time, Nymph had gotten up and stood in front of Achos, her expression displaying anger.

_Smack._

Achos' head was turned to the right, a red mark now on his left cheek. There was a look of shock on his face as he felt a slight sting on that cheek. He remained still for a moment before turning his head to look back at Nymph, who lowered her left hand to her side and continued to glare at Achos. He was slightly confused as to why Nymph had just slapped him. As if she read his mind, she gave him an answer.

"Don't," she hissed, her voice rising dangerously. "Don't you _dare _use this as an excuse to break that promise you made to me!" Achos continued to look at her in surprise, replaying that night in his mind. He noticed that Nymph no longer looked angry, instead looking sad as tears visibly welled in her eyes. It was then that Achos was no longer able to look at her directly, his guilt rising once again (even though it wasn't his intention to try and break his promise). However, he didn't need to worry about that anymore as Nymph then threw herself at Achos, positioned on her knees between his legs as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest as she cried. Achos looked momentarily surprised once again, before closing his eyes and wrapping his own arms around her back, pressing Nymph more tightly to his chest.

"I don't ever want you to leave me," she sobbed. "Please don't go... Please don't leave me..." Achos fought back against tears of his own as he listened to Nymph's pleads.

"It's okay, Nymph," he said, his voice trembling as he opened his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

The two angeloids later decided to go for a walk, and were now heading down an empty street. Nymph sighed contently as she walked with her eyes closed, her head pressed against Achos' right arm and her arms wrapped around it. Achos took a moment to look at the blue-haired angeloid, smiling warmly at her. However, that smile quickly disappeared when he looked up and saw _him _again. The same black hoodie with the hood pulled up to conceal himself, the same black cargo pants, and the same black shoes. Everything in black. When Achos stopped walking and stared at the figure in front of the two angeloids, Nymph opened her eyes and curiously looked at Achos before following his gaze to the stranger. She narrowed her eyes in confusion for a moment, before realization dawned on her.

"That's the person, isn't it?" Nymph asked, looking back at Achos, who nodded in confirmation. At that moment, the stranger pulled his arm back and thrust it forward, a purple blade ejecting out of it and heading towards the two. Instinctively, they both separated from each other and accelerated with their wings off to either side, narrowly avoiding the fast travelling blade as the tip of it lodged itself into the street.

"No more games. No more hiding," the stranger said in an eerily happy voice that sent shivers down the two angeloids' spines, retracting the blade and sending it back into his sleeve. Suddenly, from behind the figure came an array of blades that Nymph almost instantly recognized.

_That can't be! _she thought in horror. _That wing structure... it looks just like Epsilon's!_

Achos recognized the wing structure as well, an image of Chaos briefly flashing in his mind.

"This can't be possible," Achos said to himself as he looked at the new angeloid, who had just taken off into the sky. Achos and Nymph equipped their battle clothing and took off after the second-generation angeloid. Achos quickly caught up to him and activated Nemesis, swinging it at the mysterious angeloid only to have it held in place by the array of blades that converged on the sword.

"Who are you?" Achos asked, his voice strained as he tried to push against the weapons.

"Type Upsilon, Keiro," he answered. The two continued to stand off, Nymph watching them a fair distance away.

"Now, let's be patient," Keiro said, bringing out the blades and pushing Achos' arm off to the side, unsteadying him for a moment. "I don't want you to suffer just yet." In that moment, Keiro seized the opportunity to land a blow to Achos' chest, making him skyrocket towards the ground. After watching Achos collide into a nearby street below, Nymph turned to attack Keiro, only to find that he was no longer there.

_What? Where did he go? _she thought as she pressed to fingers to her ear in an attempt to track Keiro's signal. However, she couldn't detect it. She realized that something was jamming her radar, and gave up on searching for Keiro to go and help Achos. She flew over to the street where he was, descending to the ground to help him up. With slight difficulty, she slung Achos' arm over her shoulder and stood him up from his lying position on the ground.

"Did he get away...?" Achos groaned weakly as he looked at Nymph, who nodded in response. She then looked up at the sky where Keiro should have been.

"Yeah. But at least you're still alive."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey guys.**

**I cannot seem to stress how sorry I am for making you wait; recently I was sick and couldn't get myself to type up a new chapter for this story. However, the lack of reviews I've been receiving is not helping me retain my once high motivational level in terms of writing this story, so don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think of the story so far.**

**Spoiler warning for those who haven't read chapter 74 in the manga.**

* * *

"So, you were attacked again by that person... and he's an _angeloid?_" Sohara asked in disbelief, Nymph having just explained the events that transpired mere minutes earlier. Achos simply nodded in response as Nymph laid him back on a wall for him to sit against, as he was still slightly weak from his and Nymph's encounter with Keiro.

"And it's becoming more clear that he's just after Omega," she said bitterly. "He didn't bother with me at all."

"And you just let him get away?" Tomoki asked incredulously. Nymph closed her eyes and shook her head, irritation evident in her expression.

"Of course we didn't just 'let him get away', dumbass."

"You said ass!" Astraea loudly interrupted. Nymph ignored her and continued her explanation.

"I told you, I looked away for a moment because Omega was knocked into the ground and by the time I looked back he was already gone, and my radar was jammed so I couldn't follow him since I didn't _know _where he went." There was a long moment of silence.

"So what do we do?" Sohara asked, breaking the silence. Nymph sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know," she answered. "I'm not sure there's much we can do. We can't track Upsilon and he can strike at any time. The only thing we _can _do is stay alert and keep an eye out for him." There was another moment of silence. For a while.

"I'm gonna see if I can get Sugata to help," Tomoki said, heading out of the living room to retrieve his cell phone from his room. "I wanna know what that asshole in the sky wants with Achos."

"Wait!" Nymph called out, stopping Tomoki at the entrance way. "Tomoki, you should know that the last time we went to Sugata for help, he wasn't willing to help us. I don't think he wants to go back to the Synapse after... you know..."

"I don't care! He's getting his sorry ass up there whether he likes it or not," he snapped, walking out of the room and leaving the others staring open-mouthed in surprise at Tomoki's sudden outburst. It didn't seem like there was any way to stop him now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eishirou Sugata stood by the riverside, fishing in silence. However, he wasn't there alone.

"Hey Sugata," Mikako Satsukitane chimed in from behind him. "We haven't seen Tomoki and his friends in a while, have we? I kind of feel like paying them a visit."

"If you really want to, we could go see them after I get us some fish to eat," Sugata responded flatly.

"Alright then. I might as well take a nap in the meantime," she said, retreating inside Sugata's tent, leaving him to fish in silence once more. About a minute later, he heard his cell phone ringing. As he reached down to his pocket to retrieve it, he suddenly stopped as he heard a soft thud behind him.

_That must be one of the angeloids, _he thought. As he turned to look behind him, he narrowed his eyes in confusion as he saw his visitor. The figure wore a hood that concealed its face, but behind it was an array of purple blades that he referenced to another specific angeloid.

"Chaos...?" he wondered aloud as the blades folded up behind the figure.

"No. I'm not Chaos," the figure said, Sugata widening his eyes in surprise at the male voice. The stranger then ejected a blade from his sleeve.

"I'm type Upsilon. Keiro."

* * *

Tomoki soon reappeared in the living room, leaning up against a wall as he turned on his cell phone.

"He'd better pick up the phone," he muttered to himself as he called Sugata. He spent a while waiting, his phone pressed against his ear as he waited for an answer. A few seconds later, the ringing stopped and he got one. But it wasn't one he was expecting.

"Tomoki," Sugata said, his tone not a questioning one, but one filled with urgency.

"Sugata? What's wrong?" Tomoki asked, almost instantly getting worried about what was happening. Everyone else in the room was starting to get worried, too.

"There's... another angeloid... here... Mikako's in danger... get here quickly..."

"Sugata, what's going on?!" Tomoki demanded. However, he didn't get a response as the call suddenly ended. He looked at everyone else and said, "Sugata and the President are in danger. We have to get to Sugata's house, now!"

* * *

Tomoki, Sohara, and the angeloids soon arrived at the riverside, and what they saw from their aerial view made them gasp.

"No... Not again," Tomoki breathed. Keiro was there with his array of blades out and three of them being put to use: one was lodged in the ground and pierced through Sugata's phone, another was pointed at Mikako's throat, and the last one...

Pierced right through Sugata's back as he lay face-down on the ground.

The group descended a fair distance away, shocked at the scene in front of them. Keiro turned his head to look at them, his body remaining otherwise still.

"I knew you would show up," he said quietly, however there was something different about his voice this time around. It was completely void of the insanity it once had, and now only displayed seriousness. Meanwhile, the group couldn't produce any words. They didn't know what to say or what to do.

"This is only the beginning, Achos," Keiro hissed. "You are to return to the Synapse immediately. As the days go by, more people will die. It's up to you how many bodies you'll see in the time that you take thinking about the choice you want to make." Achos shook where he stood.

"You... _monster!_" he screamed, activating Nemesis. "I'll _KILL _YOU!" However, as Achos accelerated forward, Keiro withdrew his blades and quickly took off into the air, narrowly avoiding Achos' strike. As Achos then fell to his knees, trying to comprehend the whole situation, the rest of the group rushed to Sugata's aid, turning him over so that he faced up.

"Hey, Sugata, stay with me," Tomoki murmured as he held him in his arms. But Tomoki got no response from him.

"Sugata!" Now Tomoki was shaking him desperately, tears flowing freely from his eyes. The others looked on sorrowfully. They were all powerless to do anything.

"We can't bring him back..." Tomoki sobbed. "We can't bring him back anymore." The group then heard shuffling off to their left and saw Achos standing up and turning his head skyward, seemingly in thought. They were curious about what was on his mind, given the situation. Meanwhile, Mikako trudged over to the group, a sad smile on her face as she knelt beside Sugata's body and gently took it from Tomoki's grasp, brushing Sugata's hair softly. The group watched Mikako sadly, knowing she was the closest to Sugata out of all of them. While she didn't express it, they couldn't imagine the loss she was feeling in that moment.

"I guess this is goodbye," Achos said quietly, making all the heads in the group- with the exception of Mikako's- turn towards him as he extended his wings. However, as he was about to take off, he felt a hand grip his wrist tightly. Ikaros'. Achos searched her eyes for an explanation, but she merely shook her head.

"We won't let you leave, Achos," Tomoki stated firmly. "This isn't your fault. I won't let you go back to the Synapse. I'll go as far as becoming your damn _master _if that's what it takes." Achos momentarily widened his eyes in surprise, then simply nodded.

"Alright. I'll stay," he said, and Ikaros let go of his wrist. Then, there was silence once more as the group turned back to Mikako, who was still knelt by Sugata's side.

"If you don't mind," she said after a while, "I'd like to be alone... with Sugata..." Tomoki nodded understandingly and turned to everyone else.

"Come on. Let's go," he said. Ikaros grabbed hold of Tomoki, Nymph grabbed hold of Sohara, and then the group took off into the sky. Achos stayed on the ground, however, looking at the group in thought.

_I don't want any of them to get hurt... _he thought to himself. _Should I really stay? _He was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Nymph calling out to him and saying "Come on!", the group hovering in the sky and waiting for him. He nodded in response and joined the group in the sky as they all headed home.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I deeply apologize for the extremely long wait. You guys don't know how close I was to deciding not to continue this story... but, I've decided to continue with it for the sake of anyone who still wants to read this. Don't worry, I won't make you wait another month for the next chapter.****  
**

**Thanks for bearing with me here, guys.**

**REVIEW RESPONSES:  
****FF Guest Ryan: I'm sorry, but I don't plan on including the Harpies in this story. They weren't part of this story's plan to begin with.  
FF Guest Arsenal 413: Yes, Upsilon's weapon is somewhat a reference to the hidden blade from Assassin's Creed. Also, I haven't been busy with exams. I've just been putting this off for a (long) while because I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with this story.**

**[SPOILER WARNING, DON'T READ THE REST OF THE BOLD TEXT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ CHAPTER 74 OF THE MANGA]**

**In response to a question that was asked by an anonymous FF guest, yes, Sugata dies in chapter 74 in the manga before being revived.**

* * *

A day had passed since Sugata's death, and school had been cancelled for the week because of it. Tomoki sat quietly in his room with Achos, both of them contemplating on the whole situation that the angeloids were now faced with.

"This happened because of me," Achos muttered quietly to himself.

"Achos, you know that there was nothing you could do," Tomoki said. "Don't be so hard on yourself for something you couldn't prevent."

"But now I _do _have a chance to prevent it, and you won't let me. As the days go by, more people will die, and people close to you will probably be among them. Do you really want that to happen?" Tomoki now looked frustrated as he considered this.

"We'll find a way," he said. "I'm not letting you go back to the Synapse just so you can be locked back up." Achos remained silent for a moment.

"It's better than letting innocent people pay for it, isn't it?"

* * *

Outside, it rained heavily. Mikako, who was wearing a black suit, skirt and heels, stood in front of Sugata's tombstone in a cemetery, holding an umbrella over her head. She had a sad expression, her usual smile absent from her face. The one thing on her mind at that moment was how she wasn't able to say goodbye to her childhood friend.

"I'm so sorry, Sugata," Mikako murmured, her voice shaky as she did so.

"You _really _miss him, don't you?" came a voice from behind her. Her face hardening into a scowl as she recognized the voice, she dropped her umbrella and pulled out a pistol, turning to fire at Sugata's murderer. As she squeezed the trigger several times, Keiro merely unfolded the array of blades tucked behind him and brought the two halves together, blocking every bullet fired. Mikako fired once again, only to find that the pistol's magazine was empty. Before she got a chance to reload, Keiro was already in front of her, mere inches away from her face. She widened her eyes as she felt something sharp pierce through her chest, and then began to choke as she was lifted off the ground.

"You should be grateful to me," Keiro hissed, his tone serious but his words displaying his more psychotic personality. "Now you can go see your friend again." Mikako's struggle soon came to an end as she stopped making noise and her hands dropped from the blade, hanging lifelessly at her sides as her eyes closed shut.

* * *

Back at Tomoki's house, Nymph suddenly rushed into Tomoki's room with Ikaros and Astraea, looking unusually panicked.

"Nymph? What's wrong?" Tomoki asked.

"Omega, you need to come with us," she said urgently. "I just picked up Upsilon's signal again."

* * *

A few minutes later, the four angeloids arrived at the cemetery. Their eyes widened in shock as they witnessed Mikako's lifeless body impaled on Keiro's blade.

"I knew you would all show up," Keiro said in a low voice. He then threw Mikako's body off to the side. "This is another warning, in case you haven't guessed, Achos. Do what is asked of you and no one else will pay for your defiance. Return to the Synapse, or you know what will happen." With that, Keiro skyrocketed and disappeared into the dark gray clouds above. The other angeloids then headed over to Mikako's body, briefly looking at her in dismay before Astraea took the liberty of hoisting her on her back. Her mentor. Her teacher.

Dead.

"Let's go," Astraea said quietly, taking off into the sky with the others following behind her.

* * *

Tomoki leaned against a wall in the living room, tapping his foot anxiously as he waited for the angeloids to return. Sohara, who was in the room with him, was getting worried for her childhood friend. Tomoki had informed her of the situation, but she didn't want him to worry so much.

"Tomoki, I'm sure the angeloids will be fine," Sohara soothed.

"It's not _them _I'm worried about," he said in a stressed voice. "I'm worried about who Keiro might have killed today." Almost as if on cue, the two heard the front door open and close. Soon, the angeloids walked into the room, Astraea coming in last and laying Mikako's body on the ground.

"Oh no..." Sohara gasped as Tomoki walked over to the other side of the table and knelt by Mikako, examining the blood soaked wound on her chest. Achos meanwhile frowned. He knew this was going to happen. It was inevitable. There were going to be none of those bullshit delays that gave the good guys time to stop the bad guy.

This was serious.

"I told you, Tomoki..." Achos muttered.

"Now is not the time, Achos!" Tomoki snapped, slightly startling Achos and the others as his eyes widened in anger. He then refocused his attention on Mikako's body. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was just so frustrated. He just didn't know what to do.

"We have to figure out how to stop Keiro," Tomoki said.

"Even if we wanted to, we can't," Nymph responded. "He's like a ghost. There's no way to find his signal because he's jamming our radar, and judging from the past two incidents, he doesn't reveal his signal until he's killed another person." Tomoki inhaled and exhaled deeply through his nose as he rubbed his forehead. He was becoming even more distraught.

How much longer would it be before another person suffered the same fate?


End file.
